THE ELEPHANT. 7S 



Academy of Sciences have alfo left us fome fads 

 which they learned from thofe who had the 

 management of the elephant at Verfailles, and 

 which deferve a place in this work. ' The ele- 



* phant feemed to know when it was mocked 

 1 by any perfon; and remembered the affront 

 4 till an opportunity of revenge occurred. A 

 4 man deceived it, by pretending to throw fome- 

 ' thing into his mouth : The animal gave him 



* fuch a blow with its trunk as knocked him 



* down, and broke two of his ribs. After which, 



* it trampled on him with its feet, broke one of 

 ' his legs, and bending down on its knees, en- 

 ' deavoured to pulh its tulks into his belly ; but 

 ' they luckily run into the ground on each fide 

 ' of his thigh, without doing him any injury. 



* A painter wanted to draw the animal in an 

 4 unufual attitude, with its trunk elevated, and 



* its mouth open. The painter's fervant, to 



* make it remain in this pofition, threw fruits 

 4 into its mouth, but generally made only a 



* faint of throwing them. The elephant was 

 4 enraged, and, as if it knew that the painter 



* was the caufe of this tcazing impertinence, in- 

 ' ftead of attacking the. fervant, it eyed the 

 1 mailer, and {quirted at him fuch a quantity of 

 4 water from its trunk as fpoiled the paper on 

 c which he was drawing. 



4 This elephant generally made lefs ufe of its 

 c ftrength than its addrels. With great eafe 

 ■ and coolnefs, it loofed the buckle of a large 



4 double 



